XBLA Games Get Higher GS

Some sites have already reported this, probably due to receiving notification in their emails or something, but MG wasn’t privy to such information and so waited for information straight from the horse’s mouth or at least, Major Nelson’s.

Starting next month (April 2012) all new Xbox LIVE Arcade games will have the option to increase from 200 to 400 Gamerscore points, with the addition of up to 30 Achievements. Even better, this Gamerscore increase will be required in all new Xbox LIVE Arcade games starting in June 2012.
As you [should] know if you’ve been an Xbox 360 gamer from the start is that every full retail game comes with 1000 Gamerscore Points and those points are made up of 50 Achievements, but until this recent announcement, Xbox LIVE Arcade games have only had 200 Gamerscore and up to 20 Achievements.
The increase could be in connection with Windows Phone 7 titles which also have 200 GS and so to differentiate between the two, XBLA titles are getting an increase. People are already wondering if the price of Xbox LIVE Arcade titles will rise to 1600 MSP and as a commenter on Major Nelson’s blog post pointed out, “I would really hate to see 1600 MSP become the new 1200 MSP, very few titles already justify the 1200 points mark and probably even less more than that…” and I agree.
Let’s just hope developers don’t decide to increase the cost just because of the need to make more GS and achievements, there’s really no need to and shouldn’t happen, but then there’s EA…